Pieta cuts workforce by 36 as charity records €2.5m deficit

Cost-cutting at suicide and self-harm prevention charity Pieta last year contributed to losses at the charity for the year, reducing them by 31 per cent to €2.5 million.That is according to the 2025 annual report and financial statements, which show that Pieta’s fundraising from its flagship event, Darkness Into Light, was below target and fell by €517,000 from €4.52 million in 2024.In their report, the trustees state that the €2.5 million deficit for 2025 represents a €1.1 million improvement on the €3.6 million deficit for 2024, “reflecting progress in addressing Pieta’s cost base”.As part of a cost-cutting programme, numbers employed by Pieta decreased last year by 36, from 297 to 261, and the charity paid out €166,837 in redundancy costs.READ MOREThe cut to the workforce resulted in wage costs reducing by €617,000 from €9.98 million to €9.36 million.The charity’s overall spend last year reduced by €1.65 million, or 9.5 per cent, from €17.29 million to €15.63 million.The charity’s total funds have more than halved since the end of 2021, from €19.36 million to €8.17 million at the end of last year.Total funds last year reduced from €10.6 million at the start of the year to €8.1 million, and the trustees said the reduction “reflects the planned use of reserves to support the continued delivery of free clinical services during a period of sustained financial pressure”.Stephanie Manahan, chief executive of Pieta, said last year that fundraising has been a “major challenge” since Covid-19. She attributed the drop-off to the cost-of-living crisis.The trustees said that on December 31st, 2025, “Pieta’s reserves were sufficient to cover approximately 8.1 months of operating costs”.In the report, the trustees said they recognise that “the continued use of financial reserves to fund recurring deficits is not sustainable over the long term”. In response, Pieta reviewed its cost base, operating model and organisational structure, and put restructuring measures, including job cuts, in place.The trustees said that, looking ahead, the financial outlook remains dependent on achieveing fundraising targets and the continued delivery of planned efficiencies. They said that, notwithstanding these uncertainties, “the organisation expects a planned reduction in the operating deficit of approximately 44 per cent year on year, reflecting the impact of measures implemented to date and those currently underway”.Pieta’s total income last year reduced by 4 per cent from €13.68 million to €13.13 million, and the drop would have been higher but for statutory income from the HSE rising from €2.8 million to €3.18 million.The report states that, during 2025, Pieta continued to deliver free, specialist suicide and self-harm prevention services.Over the year, Pieta provided 41,253 interventions to 6,029 clients experiencing suicidal ideation, self-harm and those bereaved by suicide.During 2025, Pieta also delivered targeted support to households bereaved by suicide, providing 4,001 direct support hours and supporting approximately 500 households.